Hartford Hospital officially opened its new “Food As Medicine” facility with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Friday, May 6. The program, located on the first floor of the Brownstone Building, is created to look like a real grocery store — with only healthy items on its shelves. In partnership with Foodshare, Hartford Hospital patients who qualify have access to specific healthy food items, free of charge, prescribed by their doctors.
“Over these past two years, the pandemic has shown inequities in care, especially when it comes to nutrition and food insecurity. Hartford Hospital, working with corporations and community organizations, is taking a lead role in bringing more resources to the table and helping to close this gap,” said Bimal Patel, Hartford Region president.
“This is a project that my colleagues and I at Women’s Ambulatory Services have been associated with for about three years and we are very excited to see this facility open,” said Jessica Mullins, MD, director of gynecology at Hartford Hospital. “This is a project that is so important to our community. About 50 percent of our patients are affected by food insecurity.”
The Hartford Hospital nutrition team also provides patients with healthy eating education and advice as part of the program.
“We believe food is medicine and we are excited to share this resource with our community, our patients and our colleagues,” said Greg Jones, vice president of community health and engagement, who served as the emcee of the ceremony.